Taking a bite of the Big Apple
New York highlights the season with tours, shopping and dining

by Joan Tupponce
for Virginia Business Options
December 2006

Imagine waking up in one of the world's most famous toy stores or learning how to make velvety, fresh mozzarella on a food tour with Addie Tomei, mom of Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei. You can do both and lots more when you visit New York this holiday season.

From the contemporary holiday windows at Barneys New York, a virtual mecca for fashionistas, to the glow of lights at Rockefeller Center, New York City basks in the sparkle of the season.

For grand views of the glitz and glitter, reserve a room at the Mobil Five Star- and AAA Five Diamond-rated Four Seasons on East 57th Street where you'll find the largest guest rooms in New York - 600 square feet, to be exact. The 52-story landmark offers a variety of suites, including the luxurious presidential suites on the 51st floor. Rates for hotel suites range from $815 to $15,000 a night.

Each of the presidential suites features panoramic views of the city. Suite 5101, which has a leather-paneled library and a chess table, overlooks Central Park. Suite 5102, with a baby grand piano and customized games tables, looks south to the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. Be sure to check out the view of the Statue of Liberty when you jump in the shower.

With so much to see and do in New York, you may want to take advantage of the hotel's personal consulting program, An Insider's View to New York, with New Yorker Marina Crispo, who served as the general manager of both Barneys and Gucci. For a $125-an-hour fee, Crispo can arrange or accompany you on visits to antique stores, couture showrooms, auction houses and cultural events. You may even score an appointment with the hottest hairstylist in town.

If holiday shopping is on your agenda, Saks Fifth Avenue offers private appointments with a personal shopper in the men's Fifth Avenue Club. The service is free. Barneys also offers concierge service as well as personal shoppers to help you with holiday needs.

For the ultimate shopping adventure, you can book private shopping time with a personal shopper at FAO Schwarz. It's fun for kids of all ages and it's free. For $25,000 and up, the 143-year-old toy emporium on Fifth Avenue will even schedule an in-house sleepover. Put on your pajamas and indulge in the sinful treats in the store's center-stage ice cream parlor.

Speaking of treats, why not make your dining experience memorable by reserving a table at the new L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon at the Four Seasons, featuring Master Chef Joël Robuchon. The restaurant is modeled after Robuchon's Paris establishment, known for its counter seating, open kitchen and small tasting plates of casual French cuisine. Or, plan to dine at one of the Chef's Table dinners at The Waldorf-Astoria featuring an elaborate five-course dinner prepared personally by Executive Chef John Doherty in his kitchen, the size of a city block. Doherty's stove-side soirees are $150 per person.

If you want to reserve a table at popular Per Se, the acclaimed restaurant from Chef Thomas Keller in the Time Warner Center complex, you must call two months - exactly to the day - in advance. The intimate restaurant has only 16 tables along with two private dining rooms. For a real treat, reserve the East Room with its view of Columbus Circle.

For five or six hours of fun and great food, schedule a private or group tour with Addie Tomei of Savory Sojourns. A great conversationalist, true foodie and proud mom - on your visit you'll get the skinny on what daughter Marissa is up to these days - Tomei's offerings are expansive. They range from guided walking tours and hands-on cooking adventures in Greenwich Village, Chelsea and SoHo to food excursions in the Bronx, the Meatpacking District of New York and Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (DUMBO) in Brooklyn. Tomei also provides wine tastings, celebrity chef demonstrations and unique behind-the-scenes tours of New York's art scene. Prices range from $95 per person to more than $400 per person for an individualized tour.

Before you pack up to leave the Big Apple, schedule a visit to Radio City Music Hall and watch the legendary Rockettes kick up their heels during the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Order the VIP package ($150 to $250 per person). You'll be able to sit in the first four rows and see the dancers' new red and gold candy-colored costumes up-close and personal. It's a fun way to kick off the holiday season.